Jason Hartman talks with Lawrence Levy, former Pixar Chief Financial Officer and author of To Pixar and Beyond: My Unlikely Journey with Steve Jobs to Make Entertainment History, about how he has melded Eastern philosophies with Western business practices. The two delve into ways to break out of times when you’re stuck, how Lawrence helped Pixar become more than a small graphics company, and how to actually get yourself started so that you live a happier life.

Key Takeaways:

[1:57] How Lawrence is able to meld Western business ideas with Eastern philosophies

[7:13] What we don’t know about ourselves, and how to find it

[9:28] When Lawrence joined Pixar, and how the company was floundering with no money, no identity, and had Steve Jobs paying for payroll out of his own pocket

[12:07] What the “middle way” is

[15:52] We are constantly measuring ourselves, but we can’t solely focus on measurements

[17:56] What the initial challenge is when you’re looking to follow your heart